Evaluation Of Mixed Silage Of Reed And Licorice Stems And Leaves And Their Forage Value In South Xinjiang

In this study,reed and licorice stems and leaves were mixed in different proportions for silage that can rationalize the use of reed and licorice stems and leaves in Xinjiang,the problems of low efficiency of their use,the lack of success of silage alone,and the scarcity of roughage resources in southern Xinjiang were addressed.Through three tests on silage quality,in vitro degradation characteristics,and substitution of conventional feeds in TMR,a suitable proportion of mixed silage and suitable substitution methods were finally selected,is provided a theoretical basis for the effective use of reed and licorice stems and leaves resources and for production practice.Experiment 1:Study of the effect of mixing reed and licorice stems and leaves in different proportions for silageThe main purpose is to investigate whether mixed silage of reed and licorice stems and leaves can improve the quality of silage and the appropriate ratio.Mixed silage was made from reed and licorice stems and leaves in different weight ratios（L1:100:0,L2:60:40,L3:50:50,L4:40:60,L5:0:100）.After 90 d of silage,the silage effect was evaluated by nutrient composition,sensory quality,fermentation quality,relative feeding value,and microbial population after aerobic exposure.The results showed that the crude protein（CP）content of mixed silage treatments L3,L4,and L5 was significantly higher（P<0.05）at 11.10%,11.87%,and 12.12%respectively;the acid detergent fiber（ADF）content of treatments L4 and L5 was significantly lower（P<0.05）at 26.9%and 26.69%;the mixed silage（L2,L3,L4）were significantly higher（P<0.05）than the single silage of reed（L1）or licorice stems and leaves（L5）with 83%,71%,and 62%respectively;the highest lactic acid bacteria and the lowest yeast and molds were found in silage treatment L4 after aerobic exposure.This shows that mixed silage of reed and licorice stems and leaves improved the silage quality,and the best results were obtained by mixing the two at a ratio of 40:60.Experiment 2:Effect of mixed storage of reed and licorice stems and leaves on in vitro rumen fermentation parameters and microbial diversityIn order to study the degradation characteristics of reed and licorice stems and leaves silage with different blending ratios,this experiment used in vitro fermentation to determine the changes in fermentation parameters,degradation characteristics,and microbial bacterial diversity in the in vitro fermentation broth of five blended silages;For screen out the blended silage ratios with higher degradation characteristics.The results showed that the gas production of reed and licorice stems and leaves alone was low,35 ml and 33 ml,respectively.mixed silage treatment L4 had the highest gas production（P<0.05）,47 ml;the lowest pH and NH3-N concentration（P<0.05）,25.80 mg/d L;the highest acetic acid,propionic acid,and total volatile fatty acid content（P<0.05）,43.01 mmol/L 43.01 mmol/L,26.36 mmol/L and90.06 mmol/L;treatments L3 and L4 had significantly higher DMD,NDFD,and ADFD than the other treatments（P<0.05）,and the differences between them were not significant（P>0.05）;there were no significant differences in bacterial community species richness between the groups.Therefore,in vitro fermentation is good when reed and licorice stems and leaves are mixed with 40:60 and 50:50.Experiment 3:Effect of reed and licorice stem and leaf silage blends on in vitro fermentation parameters and microbial diversity in place of alfalfa and whole maize silage in TMRThe meaning of investigation is whether that mixed silage of reed and licorice stems and leaves can replace conventional feedstuffs in TMR and the suitable substitution method,this experiment used mixed silage to replace whole corn silage and alfalfa hay,respectively,and was divided into different substitution ratios:I:control group,II:reed and licorice stems and leaves 50:50 replaced whole corn silage,III:reed and licorice stems and leaves 50:50 replaced whole corn silage,and III:reed and licorice stem and leaves 50:50 replaced whole corn silage.:50 substitution of alfalfa hay,Ⅳ:reed and licorice stalk leaves 50:50 substitution of 50%alfalfa hay and 50%whole plant corn silage,Ⅴ:reed and licorice stalk leaves 40:60substitution of whole plant corn silage,VI:reed and licorice stalk leaves 40:60 substitution of alfalfa hay,VII:reed and licorice stems and leaves 40:60 substitution of 50%alfalfa hay and50%whole plant corn silage in seven treatments;the fermentation parameters,degradation characteristics and changes in microbial bacterial diversity of the TMR diets of the seven treatments during in vitro fermentation were measured by in vitro fermentation to screen out the suitable substitution methods.The results showed that the pH and NH₃-N concentrations of treatments III and VI were significantly lower than those of the other treatments（P<0.05）.The contents of acetic acid and propionic acid were higher in treatments III and VI,which were significantly higher than other treatments（P<0.05）,and the DMD,NDFD,and ADFD in treatment VI were significantly higher than those in other treatments（P<0.05）,which were56.63%and 52.03%,respectively,which were significantly higher than those in other treatments（P<0.05）;therefore,the mixed storage of reed and licorice stems and leaves made in 4:6 could to some extent Therefore,the mixed storage of reed and licorice stems and leaves at 4:6 could replace alfalfa hay in TMR to some extent.The above three experiments showed that the mixed silage of reed and licorice stems and leaves could obtain silage with good quality and high feeding value,and the mixed silage of reed and licorice stems and leaves made at 40:60 could replace the alfalfa hay in TMR of Dorang sheep to some extent.